Exotic cars, celebrities arrive in Schenectady

If you want to ogle exotic cars that cost more than a house and watch a leg of a quirky road rally that is a hybrid of “Cannonball Run” and “The Amazing Race,” head to City Hall in downtown Schenectady today at 3 p.m.

The DeLorean used in the movie “Back to the Future II” and more than 40 exotic and classic cars including Ferraris and Lamborghinis will roar into the Electric City for the Fireball Run. It covers 2,500 miles and stops in 15 cities.

The free event will conclude at 5 p.m. at Glen Sanders in Scotia, where fans can meet the drivers, pose for pictures beside the cars and hear about the race’s goal of finding missing children.

The event will be streamed live on the Internet and is being filmed for a later limited theatrical release. It is being produced at Universal Studios in Orlando.

The celebrity drivers include race car driver Shea Holbrook, pro wakeboarder Tara Benzel and dragster racer Tina Stull. They’ll drive around and hunt for seven historic sites around the city based on clues.

“This is a chance for people to see some really amazing cars and to promote Schenectady’s history and culture at the same time,” said organizer Don Rittner, the city historian and director of the Schenectady Film Commission. Rittner will unveil a missing children smartphone app he helped create.

Each team will pass out posters and fliers with information on a missing child from this region. The Fireball Run claims it has helped recover 38 missing children since the race began in 2007.

A local team will be driving. City Councilman Carl Erikson and Richard Ruzzo of Schenectady, owner of a security business, will race in Ruzzo’s limited edition Chrysler 300. They’ll carry fliers about missing child Craig Frear of Scotia, who vanished at age 17 along a wooded area near his home in June 2004.

For those unable to attend today’s event, the cars will assemble briefly at 10 a.m. Thursday at City Hall before heading off to Waterbury, Conn.